Storage device having direct user access

• US 8,583,878 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jpmorgan Chase Bank NA As The Agent
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Nochimowski, Alain, Stern, Ori, Rave, Micha, Garcia, Jose Carlos Santos, Martin, Antonio Manuel Lopez
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTZ, JARED IAN
• Application Number:
  US12/029,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 711/154, 709/216
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0806 Multiuser, multiprocessor or multiprocessing cache systems

Abstract

Various methods, devices and systems are described for providing distributed storage services. A data storage device is capable of initiating a communication session with an external entity such as a local host computer (and vice versa) coupled directly to the data storage device, a remote server computer, or directly with remote data storage devices with or without intervention by a local host computer.

Claims

1. A method of indirectly prompting a host device to execute a requested process, the method comprising:

in a local storage device having at least one storage area configured to be managed with block commands received from a host device file system via a first communication path over a host device/local storage device interface, the local storage device;

sending a local storage device logical request to the host device, the local storage device logical request configured to prompt the host device to establish a second communication path between the local storage device and a launching application, wherein the local storage device logical request is not created to serve a host device initiated process;

wherein the local storage device prompts the host device to establish the second communication path by either, if a polling signal is received from the host device, responding to the polling signal with the local storage device logical request, wherein the polling signal is independent of any host device file system initiated process, otherwise, associating the local storage device logical request with a local storage device interrupt signal, and notifying the host device of the local storage device interrupt signal;

wherein the local storage device logical request prompts the host device to utilize a network interface to provide the second communication path as a network link between the host device and the launching application associated with a network device that is external to the host device and the local storage device and that is included in a network, or the local storage device logical request prompts the host device to provide the second communication path as a local communication path between the local storage device and a local launching application associated with a SIM card managed by the host device that is external to the local storage device wherein the local communication path is not the network link;

wherein, when the network is an IP protocol based network, then the local storage device has a local storage device IP address, the host device has a host device IP address, and the network device has a network device IP address and, when the second communication path is the local communication path, the SIM card has a SIM card IP address;

the local storage device and the launching application logically interacting over the second communication path without further intervention by the host device; and

causing the launching application to prompt the host device to execute the requested process.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the SIM card is compliant with a SIM Application Toolkit set of commands, or the SIM card is compliant with a USIM Application Toolkit set of commands.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the requested process is a browser application launch.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the browser application points to the local storage device and wherein the browser application opens a user interface (UI) arranged to receive a user input.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the browser application facilitates logical interaction between the local storage device and the UI thereby providing the local storage device direct access to a user.

6. A computer program product executable by a processor in a local storage device having at least one storage area configured to be managed with block commands received from a host device file system via a first communication path over a host device/local storage device interface, the computer program product for indirectly prompting a host device to execute a requested process, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for sending a local storage device logical request to the host device, the local storage device logical request configured to prompt the host device to establish a second communication path over the host device/local storage device interface, the second communication path between the local storage device and a launching application, wherein the local storage device logical request is not created to serve a host device initiated process;

wherein the computer code includes instructions for causing the local storage device to prompt the host device to establish the second communication path by either, if a polling signal is received from the host device, responding to the polling signal with the local storage device logical request, wherein the polling signal is independent of any host device file system initiated process, otherwise, causing the local storage device to associate the local storage device logical request with a local storage device interrupt signal, and to notify the host device of the local storage device interrupt signal;

wherein the computer code further includes instructions to cause the local storage device logical request to prompt the host device to utilize a network interface to provide the second communication path as a network link between the host device and the launching application associated with a network device that is external to the host device and the local storage device and that is included in a network, or to cause the local storage device logical request to prompt the host device to provide the second communication path as a local communication path between the local storage device and a local launching application associated with a SIM card managed by the host device that is external to the local storage device wherein the local communication path is not the network link;

wherein, when the network is an IP protocol based network, then the local storage device has a local storage device IP address, the host device has a host device IP address, and the network device has a network device IP address and, when the second communication path is the local communication path, the SIM card has a SIM card IP address;

computer code for causing the local storage device and the launching application to logically interact over the second communication path without further intervention by the host device;

computer code for causing the launching application to prompt the host device to execute the requested process;

and

a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing the computer code.

7. The computer program product as recited in claim 6, wherein the SIM card is compliant with the SIM Application Toolkit set of commands, or the SIM card is compliant with the USIM Application Toolkit set of commands.

8. The computer program product as recited in claim 6, wherein the requested process is a browser application launch.

9. The computer program product as recited in claim 8, wherein the browser application points to the local storage device and wherein the browser application opens a user interface (UI) arranged to receive a user input.

10. The computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein the browser application facilitates a logical interaction between the local storage device and the UI thereby providing the local storage device with direct access to a user.

11. A local storage device comprising:

a host device/local storage device interface providing a first communication path between a host device and the local storage device, wherein at least one storage area of the storage device is configured for management by a host device file system of the host device via block commands received at the local storage device over the first communication path; and

a controller in communication with the host device/local storage device interface and the at least one storage area, the controller configured to;

indirectly prompt the host device to execute a requested process by using a local storage device logical request configured to prompt the host device to establish a second communication path over the host device/local storage device interface between the local storage device and a launching application;

wherein to prompt the host device to establish the second communication path the local storage device is configured to either, if a polling signal is received from the host device, respond to the polling signal with the local storage device logical request, wherein the polling signal is independent of any host device file system initiated process, otherwise, associate the local storage device logical request with a local storage device interrupt signal, and notify the host device of the local storage device interrupt signal;

wherein the local storage device logical request is configured to prompt the host device to utilize a network interface to provide the second communication path as a network link between the host device and the launching application associated with a network device that is external to the host device and the local storage device and that is included in a network, or the local storage device logical request is configured to prompt the host device to provide the second communication path as a local communication path between the local storage device and a local launching application associated with a SIM card managed by the host device that is external to the local storage device wherein the local communication path is not the network link;

wherein, when the network is an IP protocol based network, then the local storage device has a local storage device IP address, the host device has a host device IP address, and the network device has a network device IP address and, when the second communication path is the local communication path, the SIM card has a SIM card IP address; and

logically interact with the launching application over the second communication path without further intervention by the host device wherein the logical interaction causes the launching application to prompt the host device to execute the requested process and wherein the local storage device logical request is not created to serve a host device initiated process.

12. The local storage device as recited in claim 11, wherein the SIM card is compliant with the SIM Application Toolkit set of commands, or the SIM card is compliant with the USIM Application Toolkit set of commands.

13. The local storage device as recited in claim 11, wherein the requested process is a browser application launch.

14. The local storage device as recited in claim 13, wherein the browser application points to the local storage device and wherein the browser application opens a user interface (UI) arranged to receive a user input.

15. The local storage device as recited in claim 14, wherein the browser application facilitates a logical interaction between the UI and the local storage device thereby providing the local storage device with a direct access to a user.